longhair75
10th July 2007, 01:55 PM
Good afternoon friends,
As we work out these rules Wiki style, maybe we should refrain from changing something someone else posted. I would suggest adding your proposed changes under the passage you would like changed, then discussion could follow. I plan to initial my posts so you know who posted it. Many discussion threads related to the rules are ongoing in the STR forum and, in addition, this wiki also has it's own comment section that can be used as well.{lh75}
Scripture, Tradition, Reason - Anglican/Old Catholic
Congregational Forum Standards
“Scripture, Tradition, Reason - Anglican/Old Catholic” is a congregational forum governed by the broader rules of Christian Forums. Please make sure you are familiar with the latest statement of those rules before you post in this forum. {Wigglesworth, plagiarist}
All those who consider themselves Anglican or who bare the Anglican icon for the purposes of their Christian Forums membership are welcome to fully participate in the life and work of this forum community, including participating in debates. All others are welcome for fellowship, questions and inquiries, non-debate discussion, and finally, at the discretion of the moderating team, limited congenial debate.
All those who consider themselves to be Old Catholic, including, but not limited to, those who bear the Utrecht icon, shall enjoy the same privileges as Anglicans in this subforum. Old Catholics are members of a church with bishops who trace their episcopal heritage to the Old Catholic See of Utrecht. {Wigglesworth}
Members and Non-Members
This is the congregational forum for members of Christian Forums who self-identify as "Anglican" or "Old Catholic." "Self-identify" means what you would call yourself, today, if someone asked for your denomination, and is a clear affirmation. If your normal answer is, "I consider myself XXX ... but I was confirmed in an Anglican church ..." or "I still go to an Old Catholic church but I've decided they're wrong and am converting to XXX..." - or if you never were Anglican or Old Catholic - then please limit yourself to questions and fellowship posts to avoid debating on any issue that may be controversial to Anglicans or Old Catholics.
It is the responsibility of any non-member posting in this forum to avoid contentious topics.
Diversity of Belief
The Anglican and Old Catholic churches include many different provinces and communions worldwide who express a range of perspectives on different doctrines. Despite this breadth of thought within our Churches, it is possible for them to coexist.
It is the expectation on this board that the divers groups will co-exist, and do so courteously, or at least with restraint from discourtesy.
What Anglicans Believe
Anglicans don't have dogma. Anglican doctrine is inferred from praxis. The norm for Anglican praxis is the Book of Common Prayer, or an alternative, as authorized for your Province or communion.
Anglicanism is generally tolerant of variant forms of worship. However, variants should not be promoted as being core Anglican norms. "Accepted by some Anglicans" is a true statement that should be used instead of "is the Anglican viewpoint" for matters not supported by the majority of authorized Prayer Books.
Evidence supporting a claim that some belief or practice is fundamentally Anglican should come from a Prayer book or alternative authorized by an Anglican Province or communion.
Approved Prayer Books include the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, and also the 1928 or 1979, CW, BAS, A Prayer Book for Australia, and AAPB (and for historical discussion, ASB, 1552, 1549 and other superceded prayer books). At the same time, while one can have some certainty that the prayer book used in their province and communion represents a degree of mainstream practice for that province and communion, your prayer book is not definitive for other provinces and is not a hammer with which to beat on one another.
Notwithstanding the reliance on the Book of Common Prayer for norms, it is worth repeating that Anglicanism is generally tolerant of variant forms of worship. A judgement that something is "Not predominantly accepted by Anglicans" should never be used to support a claim, or read as a claim, that someone or something is "unAnglican". Anglicanism includes freedom to practice pieties and hold beliefs that are not completely shared (or even commonly shared) within the rest of the communion. Recognize that this is a freedom, not a burden to place upon others. Our freedom to embrace variant practices implicitly depends on others having the freedom to choose to eschew those practices with equal passion. It's not just a matter of "if you don't like it, don't do it". One person may have as valid a reason to discourage some pet piety as another has to promote it.
To summarize, core mainstream Anglican praxis is found in Anglican prayer books; Anglicans don't have dogma, so, Anglican "official positions" must be inferred from Anglican prayer books; a norm for one group should not be misrepresented as "the Anglican viewpoint;" and, something can be "Not usual for Anglicans" without being "unAnglican".
Finally, while ideas and ideals do not need to be hidden, the discussion of them does need to be curbed. Giving free reign to any form of sarcastic wit, vilification, florid overstatement, perjoration, condemnatory oration, arrogant absolutism - in short, flaming and baiting - is inappropriate. You can present your idea. You cannot beat people over the head with it or back them up against a wall with it.
You needn't restrict what you have to say, but you must restrain HOW you say it. {Wigglesworth, plagiarist}
"29And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these." (Matt 12:29-31, kjv) seems like a good place to start the rules {lh75}
The following are the newly adopted Christian Forum rules:
1. You Shall Respect Our Beliefs in the Lord Our God
Why do we have this rule? We have this rule because in order for Christians to be united, it is important that we not offend our brethren.
1.1 Don't Abuse the Name of God
The names and titles of God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit (in any language) shall not be used as expletives or interjections.
It does not mean that God cannot be criticized nor that negative impressions about Him cannot be shared as part of a discussion or debate. It also does not include in a debate denying the existence of God, the divinity of Christ or the existence of the Trinity as many Christians understand it.
1.2 No Actively Promoting Other Religions or Faiths for the Purpose of Gaining Converts
Outside of the Congregational fora, members may not promote a religion, belief, faith or doctrine other than Christianity. Posts providing information about other religions or faiths are allowed.
It does not mean that one may not debate the rightness or wrongness of specific viewpoints, including those of other religions. Winning of such a debate is not to be considered promotion.
2. Respect everyone and love your neighbour as yourself
Why do we have this rule? We have this rule because in order for Christians to be united, it is important that we treat our brethren with respect. Hurtful behaviors and words are wrong and reflect poorly on the gospel message that every Christian should convey.
2.1 No Flaming
Members should not insult another member with a personal attack. Such behavior would include personally defamatory comments or inflammatory accusations, even if they are believed to be true. Categorically stating that somebody is destined for hell is also considered to be flaming.
This does not mean that criticizing another person's beliefs is the same as flaming. For instance, saying an idea is non-bliblical is not the same as saying that a member is non-Christian or follows non-biblical beliefs.
As a general rule, when in doubt, assume good faith on the part of the other poster.
2.2 No Harassment of Other Members
A member should not go out of their way to make another member's CF experience miserable.
2.3 Congregational Areas Will Have Their Own Rules for Debating
The members of the Congregational fora will be empowered to elect their own moderators and establish their own rules for who may debate in them. In essence, they will remain safe-havens for members of the Congregation.
This does not mean that Congregational fora are allowed to make rules that conflict with the CF rules.
2.4 No Defamation of Other Members
You shall not make posts about other members that are not true. This includes slander of another member or misrepresentations about another person's faith. If a post is found or shown to be untrue, it should be retracted with apology.
2.5 No Violating Copyright Laws
You will not make posts that violate the copyrights of others. In general, this means that any quoted portion of any work must not exceed 20% of the total work. In the specific case of materials owned by the Associated Press, members shall not quote more than one sentence of the work and provide a link to the work.
3. Administrative Matters
Why do we have this rule? Certain rules are needed so that the forum can be run in a smooth manner.
3.1 No Spamming
Defined as promoting personal commercial ventures.
3.2 No Obscene, Vulgar, Racist, Sexually Explicit, or Illegal Posts and Links
3.3 Age and Gender Limiations on Certain Fora
Certain fora have an age or gender requirement. Please respect these requirements, or your post may be deleted.
3.4 No In-Thread Discussion of Moderator Actions
You should not discuss actions taken by moderators in the same thread where the action was taken
This does not mean that you cannot discuss actions taken by moderators in the appropriate fora (for instance the report threads).
3.5 No Bypassing Suspension or Ban
You shall not bypass a suspension or a ban by creating a new account. The appropriate method for dealing with these is to contact the Ombudsman at ombudsman@christianforums.org.
3.6 Special Rules for the Chat Box and IRC Rules
The chatbox is for light chat only. If a topic moves beyond it, it should be moved to the appropriate forum.
3.7 Do not discuss the contents of Google text ads in the open fora
This is a requirement of Christian Forums' contract with Google.
4. My CF Homepage/Profiles
All rules apply to all areas of the site including profiles. Portions of the profile which are automatically generated in posts are held to the same standard as posts. This affects usernames, custom usertitles, avatars, signatures, and mouseovers. Standards for the portions of the profile that can only be seen when viewing the profile will be held to a more relaxed standard. However, if these profile elements are judged by members and staff to be violations of the rules, the member will be expected to edit it within 48 hours of the request.
{added to Wiki 07.11.07 by lh75}
As we work out these rules Wiki style, maybe we should refrain from changing something someone else posted. I would suggest adding your proposed changes under the passage you would like changed, then discussion could follow. I plan to initial my posts so you know who posted it. Many discussion threads related to the rules are ongoing in the STR forum and, in addition, this wiki also has it's own comment section that can be used as well.{lh75}
Scripture, Tradition, Reason - Anglican/Old Catholic
Congregational Forum Standards
“Scripture, Tradition, Reason - Anglican/Old Catholic” is a congregational forum governed by the broader rules of Christian Forums. Please make sure you are familiar with the latest statement of those rules before you post in this forum. {Wigglesworth, plagiarist}
All those who consider themselves Anglican or who bare the Anglican icon for the purposes of their Christian Forums membership are welcome to fully participate in the life and work of this forum community, including participating in debates. All others are welcome for fellowship, questions and inquiries, non-debate discussion, and finally, at the discretion of the moderating team, limited congenial debate.
All those who consider themselves to be Old Catholic, including, but not limited to, those who bear the Utrecht icon, shall enjoy the same privileges as Anglicans in this subforum. Old Catholics are members of a church with bishops who trace their episcopal heritage to the Old Catholic See of Utrecht. {Wigglesworth}
Members and Non-Members
This is the congregational forum for members of Christian Forums who self-identify as "Anglican" or "Old Catholic." "Self-identify" means what you would call yourself, today, if someone asked for your denomination, and is a clear affirmation. If your normal answer is, "I consider myself XXX ... but I was confirmed in an Anglican church ..." or "I still go to an Old Catholic church but I've decided they're wrong and am converting to XXX..." - or if you never were Anglican or Old Catholic - then please limit yourself to questions and fellowship posts to avoid debating on any issue that may be controversial to Anglicans or Old Catholics.
It is the responsibility of any non-member posting in this forum to avoid contentious topics.
Diversity of Belief
The Anglican and Old Catholic churches include many different provinces and communions worldwide who express a range of perspectives on different doctrines. Despite this breadth of thought within our Churches, it is possible for them to coexist.
It is the expectation on this board that the divers groups will co-exist, and do so courteously, or at least with restraint from discourtesy.
What Anglicans Believe
Anglicans don't have dogma. Anglican doctrine is inferred from praxis. The norm for Anglican praxis is the Book of Common Prayer, or an alternative, as authorized for your Province or communion.
Anglicanism is generally tolerant of variant forms of worship. However, variants should not be promoted as being core Anglican norms. "Accepted by some Anglicans" is a true statement that should be used instead of "is the Anglican viewpoint" for matters not supported by the majority of authorized Prayer Books.
Evidence supporting a claim that some belief or practice is fundamentally Anglican should come from a Prayer book or alternative authorized by an Anglican Province or communion.
Approved Prayer Books include the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, and also the 1928 or 1979, CW, BAS, A Prayer Book for Australia, and AAPB (and for historical discussion, ASB, 1552, 1549 and other superceded prayer books). At the same time, while one can have some certainty that the prayer book used in their province and communion represents a degree of mainstream practice for that province and communion, your prayer book is not definitive for other provinces and is not a hammer with which to beat on one another.
Notwithstanding the reliance on the Book of Common Prayer for norms, it is worth repeating that Anglicanism is generally tolerant of variant forms of worship. A judgement that something is "Not predominantly accepted by Anglicans" should never be used to support a claim, or read as a claim, that someone or something is "unAnglican". Anglicanism includes freedom to practice pieties and hold beliefs that are not completely shared (or even commonly shared) within the rest of the communion. Recognize that this is a freedom, not a burden to place upon others. Our freedom to embrace variant practices implicitly depends on others having the freedom to choose to eschew those practices with equal passion. It's not just a matter of "if you don't like it, don't do it". One person may have as valid a reason to discourage some pet piety as another has to promote it.
To summarize, core mainstream Anglican praxis is found in Anglican prayer books; Anglicans don't have dogma, so, Anglican "official positions" must be inferred from Anglican prayer books; a norm for one group should not be misrepresented as "the Anglican viewpoint;" and, something can be "Not usual for Anglicans" without being "unAnglican".
Finally, while ideas and ideals do not need to be hidden, the discussion of them does need to be curbed. Giving free reign to any form of sarcastic wit, vilification, florid overstatement, perjoration, condemnatory oration, arrogant absolutism - in short, flaming and baiting - is inappropriate. You can present your idea. You cannot beat people over the head with it or back them up against a wall with it.
You needn't restrict what you have to say, but you must restrain HOW you say it. {Wigglesworth, plagiarist}
"29And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these." (Matt 12:29-31, kjv) seems like a good place to start the rules {lh75}
The following are the newly adopted Christian Forum rules:
1. You Shall Respect Our Beliefs in the Lord Our God
Why do we have this rule? We have this rule because in order for Christians to be united, it is important that we not offend our brethren.
1.1 Don't Abuse the Name of God
The names and titles of God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit (in any language) shall not be used as expletives or interjections.
It does not mean that God cannot be criticized nor that negative impressions about Him cannot be shared as part of a discussion or debate. It also does not include in a debate denying the existence of God, the divinity of Christ or the existence of the Trinity as many Christians understand it.
1.2 No Actively Promoting Other Religions or Faiths for the Purpose of Gaining Converts
Outside of the Congregational fora, members may not promote a religion, belief, faith or doctrine other than Christianity. Posts providing information about other religions or faiths are allowed.
It does not mean that one may not debate the rightness or wrongness of specific viewpoints, including those of other religions. Winning of such a debate is not to be considered promotion.
2. Respect everyone and love your neighbour as yourself
Why do we have this rule? We have this rule because in order for Christians to be united, it is important that we treat our brethren with respect. Hurtful behaviors and words are wrong and reflect poorly on the gospel message that every Christian should convey.
2.1 No Flaming
Members should not insult another member with a personal attack. Such behavior would include personally defamatory comments or inflammatory accusations, even if they are believed to be true. Categorically stating that somebody is destined for hell is also considered to be flaming.
This does not mean that criticizing another person's beliefs is the same as flaming. For instance, saying an idea is non-bliblical is not the same as saying that a member is non-Christian or follows non-biblical beliefs.
As a general rule, when in doubt, assume good faith on the part of the other poster.
2.2 No Harassment of Other Members
A member should not go out of their way to make another member's CF experience miserable.
2.3 Congregational Areas Will Have Their Own Rules for Debating
The members of the Congregational fora will be empowered to elect their own moderators and establish their own rules for who may debate in them. In essence, they will remain safe-havens for members of the Congregation.
This does not mean that Congregational fora are allowed to make rules that conflict with the CF rules.
2.4 No Defamation of Other Members
You shall not make posts about other members that are not true. This includes slander of another member or misrepresentations about another person's faith. If a post is found or shown to be untrue, it should be retracted with apology.
2.5 No Violating Copyright Laws
You will not make posts that violate the copyrights of others. In general, this means that any quoted portion of any work must not exceed 20% of the total work. In the specific case of materials owned by the Associated Press, members shall not quote more than one sentence of the work and provide a link to the work.
3. Administrative Matters
Why do we have this rule? Certain rules are needed so that the forum can be run in a smooth manner.
3.1 No Spamming
Defined as promoting personal commercial ventures.
3.2 No Obscene, Vulgar, Racist, Sexually Explicit, or Illegal Posts and Links
3.3 Age and Gender Limiations on Certain Fora
Certain fora have an age or gender requirement. Please respect these requirements, or your post may be deleted.
3.4 No In-Thread Discussion of Moderator Actions
You should not discuss actions taken by moderators in the same thread where the action was taken
This does not mean that you cannot discuss actions taken by moderators in the appropriate fora (for instance the report threads).
3.5 No Bypassing Suspension or Ban
You shall not bypass a suspension or a ban by creating a new account. The appropriate method for dealing with these is to contact the Ombudsman at ombudsman@christianforums.org.
3.6 Special Rules for the Chat Box and IRC Rules
The chatbox is for light chat only. If a topic moves beyond it, it should be moved to the appropriate forum.
3.7 Do not discuss the contents of Google text ads in the open fora
This is a requirement of Christian Forums' contract with Google.
4. My CF Homepage/Profiles
All rules apply to all areas of the site including profiles. Portions of the profile which are automatically generated in posts are held to the same standard as posts. This affects usernames, custom usertitles, avatars, signatures, and mouseovers. Standards for the portions of the profile that can only be seen when viewing the profile will be held to a more relaxed standard. However, if these profile elements are judged by members and staff to be violations of the rules, the member will be expected to edit it within 48 hours of the request.
{added to Wiki 07.11.07 by lh75}